Children in the North are more likely to live in poverty than those
in the rest of England – and increasingly so. Poverty is the lead
driver of inequalities between children in the North and their
counterparts in the rest of the country, leading to worse physical and
mental health outcomes, educational attainment, and lower lifelong
economic productivity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made this situation worse. Although
the full impact is not yet known, modelling suggests that, without
intervention, the outlook is bleak. To address the North-South
productivity gap we must tackle the stark inequalities evidenced in
this report, put in place a child-first place-based recovery plan, and
enable the children of the North to fulfil their potential.

Please see the full report here.